Methodist Research Institute Reveals Trappings of Nanotechnology

New devices can help predict prognosis for patients, target treatments and detect cancer

Kathy F. Mahdoub, Houston Chronicle

By Kathy F. Mahdoubi

Published 12:20 pm, Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Dr.'s Mauro Ferrari, Lidong Qinon, and Jenny Chang of Methodist's Research Institute are all a part of a research group on MS-Chips that helps diagnose whether certain kinds of cancer cells exist in a cancer patient.
Photo: J. Patric Schneider, Freelance

A new nano device resembling a "microscopic game of Plinko" developed by the Methodist Hospital Research Institute can test for dangerous cancer stem cells in blood by trapping them in a high-tech and very tiny maze of silicone stubble.

The device mechanically separates cancer cells from each other and isolates one in particular: tumor-initiating stem cells - the mother lode of cancer cells.

When cancer develops, not all tumor cells are identical. There are specialized cells within the bulk of tumors that can alter other cells and encourage new cancer growth. Cancer stem cells are virulent and hyper-resistant to conventional treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy. The presence of these cells also means there is a good chance that the cancer will metastasize, or spread and develop new tumors elsewhere.

Ten years of research isolating these cells at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute has revealed an important characteristic that makes them stand out. Cancer stem cells are softer, more flexible and needlelike than other cancer cells. These mother cells can squeeze through all kinds of barriers, and it is this shape-shifting characteristic that makes it possible for cancer stem cells to slip in unannounced.

Not only do these cells hitch rides and break into unassuming healthy cells in vulnerable tissues, such as those in the lungs, liver and bowel, but they tamper with and co-opt these benign cells' master plans to propagate new tumors.

The separation chip, dubbed the MS-Chip, uses compressed air to mash cells against the chip, which then traps cancer stem cells because they are the only ones malleable enough to make it into the fine teeth of silicone. The diagnostic device could one day tell doctors whether cancer stem cells are present, which would help inform doctors about the likelihood of cancer spread.

The current protocol for finding these cells is an invasive biopsy and a technique called flow cytometry, a more complicated and costly technique than the MS-Chip if it were mass produced. On a large scale, the MS-Chip could be manufactured at $1 per unit, estimated Lidong Qin, a lead research scientist at Methodist.

In the lab, researchers use specialized industrial-design software and advanced laser technology to print a series of chrome channels on glass. This is used as a mold to create miniscule silicone chips.

Other nanotechnology on the horizon from the Methodist Hospital Research Institute includes nano-particle gene therapies that seek out mother cells and shut down essential cell communication.

"Nano medicine will transform cancer care completely," said Mauro Ferrari, president of the Methodist Research Institute and the Alliance for NanoHealth, which unites eight universities and research institutions in the Texas Medical Center that focus on the development of nanotechnology. "We cannot do everything with nano medicine, but it is necessary to be able to personalize care."

Nano medicine is just one piece of the puzzle, but an important one, according to Paul Cossum, president of the Texas BioAlliance, a support organization that counsels CPRIT on the feasibility of new cancer drug and device commercialization. Getting regulatory approval and finding the capital resources to produce nanotechnologies present some roadblocks, but not enough to stop nanotechnology like the MS-chip in its tracks.

"Once a detection device like this has advanced through preclinical testing, it can be commercialized without a doubt," said Cossum.

Regulatory approval for the MS-Chip and V-Chip are easier because they are not injected or otherwise incorporated into the body; approval is more about guaranteeing that the device will be meaningful for physicians.

Nano drugs, however, can cost $100 million to get through clinical trials even though they may be more financially viable to investors than diagnostic technology, Ferrari said.